The End
by The Amazing Soup
Summary: As many people know, Mass Effect 3's ending sucked.  This is my go at it, as well as an epilogue of sorts.  Includes Shepard x Ashley and Garrus x Tali, as well as several other potential pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**PREFACE:** Like manyother avid Mass Effect fans, I was very disappointed in the ending. This fic will be what I would have liked the ending to be. It may be cheesey, fluffy, and at some points ridiculous, but bear with me.

The End Chapter 1: Catalyst

The Illusive Man fell to the floor and lay still. Anderson fell to his stomach and did the same. Shepard limped up to the console, each step sending lightning through his body. When he reached the console, the typed in several commands.

He breezed through the interface, just like any other. Only it was this one that would destroy the Reapers once and for all and leave only peace in its wake.

His task completed, he slumped next to Anderson, who was sitting up against a small step.

"We… We did it, Anderson." Shepard choked out.

"We did. I'm proud of you, son." Anderson paused, looking at the Earth spinning past the open arms of the Citadel. "It feels like it's been years since I… Sat down…" Anderson told Shepard sleepily.

"Come on, Anderson, stay with me." Shepard warned the Admiral, nudging him. Despite Shepard's prompting, Anderson closed his eyes and rested, perhaps for eternity.

"When this is over, I'm going to have a hot meal and sleep in a soft bed…" Shepard commented to himself, his eyes drooping. A crackle of static broke through his bleariness. It was Admiral Hackett.

"Shepard, I don't believe it. Whatever you did, the Reapers are being destroyed. More disassembled, really. They're dissolving, right in front of our scanners. You did it, Commander."

Shepard smiled, letting his euphoria wash the piercing pain from his face. He had done it. Everyone told him he could, but he couldn't ever really believe it. Not after losing so many friends.

"Hey Lieutenant, get me a beer when I meet you up there. That's an order." Shepard told himself. He closed his eyes and saw Kaiden smirking back at him.

"_If you say so, sir."_

"Damn right I say so. And tell Mordin he's a good guy. Or frog. Thing. Okay, lieutenant?" Shepard felt himself drifting to sleep, and he could hear footsteps behind him. Probably Alenko getting him that beer.

"So soon, LT? I hardly had time to pass over yet and you're already kissing my ass again!" Shepard jabbed at the LT. Kaiden rolled his eyes.

"_Commander. You'll have to wait for that beer."_

"Why? I sure could use one right now…" Shepard mumbled, his almost closed as he fell into Anderson, who emitted a muffled 'oomph'.

"_They still need you. You'll have your time, but you can't leave everyone behind yet."_

"Who? Who am I leaving-"

"Shepard!" Ashley screamed from behind him. Shepard tried to turn his head, but it was too heavy for him to move. His vision went black just as Ashley's battered form came up to greet him.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

It smelled like roses. That was the first thing Shepard noticed about Heaven. It smelled like roses. There might have been a slight hint of vanilla. And cinnamon. Everything was cream-colored, almost like he was swimming in a pool of coffee creamer.

Then he heard a voice. It was so faint, Shepard had to struggle to hear it.

"May have been … too much blood … an't say for sure. I'm surprised he even survived. To think, a Reaper hit him dead-on with that blast! It's unthinkable."

Shepard's mind snapped back to reality. He felt his body, laying on something soft. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. His limbs were too heavy to move.

He was alive.

The voices came back.

"Doctor, the monitor! His brain has normal functionality!"

"Let me see that!" The second voice said. There was a commotion, and then blinding light seared into Shepard's brain. The light retracted, leaving behind a blurry, gray-topped head. The voices were talking to him.

"Commander! Stay calm. Try not to move; I don't think you're ready to get up yet. There are so many people that want to see you. Sleep well, now, Commander." As the last words were spoken, the rosy-smelling coffee creamer enveloped him once again.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"Shepard. Shepard, please. Please wake up." Ashley pleaded. The crew of the _Normandy _had followed the Commander through the beam only a few minutes after he had. They found the Illusive Man, Admiral Anderson, and the Commander all on the floor of the Citadel control panel.

Shepard didn't have a pulse.

"You promised me you'd come back! You can't do this, Shepard. I'm not losing you again!" She yelled at Shepard, whose head she had cradled in her lap. Tears began to leak down her face, two shiny trails where there was no grime from the battle.

Tears dripped off her chin as James and Liara tried to take Shepard back to the _Normandy_ for medical attention. Ashley snarled at them, but after several minutes of soothing from Liara, the Lieutenant reluctantly let go.

Liara was the closest friend she had now, since Shepard was dead.

She cried into Liara's shoulder for what seemed like an eternity, until finally it seemed she couldn't cry any more. She wiped her nose and let Liara guide her back to the _Normandy_.

When everyone had been hauled aboard, including the now recuperating Anderson, Liara called a meeting of the crew in the conference room. Almost the entire crew crowded into and around the small, glass-paneled walls, trying to hear Liara and the rest of Shepard's squad speak.

"Shepard …" Liara started, then stopped. She paused for an unfathomable amount of time. "We're not sure if Shepard made it. Only Anderson knows what happened on the Citadel, but we can only imagine, given his state, that…" She trailed off again. This time, Garrus stepped forward.

"For now, we're going back to Earth to help with the mop-up. When that's done, well… We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He finished, then moved to exit the small room. Ashley merely stood in what seemed like stunned silence, his gave unwavering towards the floor. James walked up next to here as the rest of the crew cleared out.

"We should get out of here. We could all use some rest. Garrus said we're gonna start with clean-up tomorrow, so…" He started softly, then waited for a response from her. She remained mute, rooted to the spot. Vega sighed and left her to her thoughts, the only one left in the room.

The next several days were a blur to Ashley. She had somehow managed to wake up in one of the crew beds without her armor on, and Shepard was already at the newly established ICU on Earth. She helped straighten out the LZ, though part of Hammer Team had taken care of most of that.

She then worked trying to piece together the broken pieces of her heart through tough labor. As she was sitting down at the table in the mess, she heard a couple of marines talking excitedly.

"Ording to Cahkwas, Shepard's alive and-" The two were shoved aside as Ashley careened her way to the elevator, mashing the 'Cargo Hold' button until she was sure she had broken her index finger. The elevator chugged down the shaft, with Ashley screaming at it to go faster. When the doors were halfway open, she charged through, knocking over Cortez and another poor soul and marched out of the hold and into the base camp. She sprinted through the camp, trying to find the small underground doorway that led to the ICU. Ashley ran into it with reckless abandon, rushing past the maze of halls and beds, each with a different soldier in it. Finally she came to a small room with tinted windows. On the door read; 'CLASSIFIED: KEEP OUT'. She opened the door anyways.

Inside were Doctor Chakwas along with another doctor Ashley didn't recognize. They were tending to Shepard, who was completely covered in bandages. It would have been funny if he wasn't supposed to be dead.

"Is he okay?" Ashley pleaded of Chakwas.

"Yes. We managed to resuscitate him after the _Normandy _arrived." She replied with her unique accent. Ashley sighed with relief, then too familiar tears began to grace her eyes.

"Here, now, it's okay. He'll be fine. Take a seat; it could be a while." Doctor Chakwas said, indicating a seat by the wall. Ashley sat in the chair, numbly staring at Shepard. Only minutes ago, she thought he was dead. And now he was alive again. She let out a harsh bark of laughter. Just another day for Commander Shepard. Then there was a commotion.

"Doctor! I don't believe it, he's waking up again!" The other doctor exclaimed to Chakwas, who rushed over. Ashley bolted upright. Shepard's eyes fluttered open slowly, then he gasped. He seemed to convulse as he breathed. Chakwas called to another aide from outside, who shooed Ashley out.

So the numbness was back, as she awaited the news.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"Scratch one!" Garrus yelled, ducking back into cover. He and Tali along with a group of Alliance marines were trying to push out from the base camp to amass more allied territory.

"Nice shot!" Tali yelled back, blasting off a marauder's head with her shotgun. "It's really too bad that super-weapon of Shepard's didn't take out all the husks.

"Then there wouldn't be any fun left!" Wrex shouted as he ran past the group and straight through a ravager. He disemboweled a cannibal, then smashed a husk's face with murderous glee. He continued on his rage-fueled rampage until only the marines, Garrus, and Tali were the last things standing.

"I'll try to save some for you next time, Garrus." Wrex smirked as he walked up to the turian, covered in blood. Garrus flicked his mandibles.

"I figured I'd let you get some kills; get warmed up before we _really _ started." Garrus examined his talons. Tali snorted.

"Boys."

The group of marines shrugged and followed the three as they carved a path of destruction through the bombed out landscape of Earth. Soon enough, the group encountered some of the remnants of Hammer Team. Garrus and Tali hurried over to the small group of turians and geth that were fighting off Reaper troops as Wrex, Tali, and the marines gave support to the beleaguered squad.

"What's your status?" Garrus shouted to one of the turians as he took up a covered position beghind some low rubble.

"Not good! We've taken heavy casualties, but the geth seem to be doing better than us. They're still pounding 'em whenever they get close, but the enemy's gotten smart off that tactic! They're just trying to break down our cover and keep us suppressed." A bullet whizzed past the turian's head.

"Tell your team to fall back a ways! We're gonna try to get some fire support!" Garrus yelled as he popped out of cover to take a few shots. He ducked back into the rubble as a hail of bullets swept over his head. He slapped out his thermal clip, and it clinked to the floor. Then he brought one taloned hand up to his comm.

"This is Lance Team! We need gunship support ASAP! Enemy is twenty meters northwest of our position!" Garrus shouted into the comm. An answer crackled through.

"_Roger that, Lance Team. Razor three-two inbound. Three… Two… One… Splash."_ At the last word a fighter flew low over them, blanketing the enemy position in flames.

"Thanks for the support, three-two!" Garrus yelled into the comm over the thunderous roar of the flames. He stood up and waved two talons in a circle.

"Mop 'em up! We have ground to cover, and we'll need all of Hammer we can get to." Garrus yelled to the team, who began to move out. He lowered his assault rifle as Tali sidled up next to him.

"You're a very different man than when I met you, Garrus." His mandibles flared in embarrassment.

"You've also matured a lot, Tali. You went from a shy kid on her pilgrimage to a strong woman capable of anything."

Tali beamed under her visor, then nudged Garrus with her hip.

"I'll help them clean up." Tali told him with mirth. He smiled his little turian smile. It was nice to be loved.


	2. Chapter 2

**PREFACE: **I looked at the story traffic on this thing, and I'm glad people are getting such enjoyment out of it. I'll try to not mess up. ^_^ Also, I noticed my spell check was a bit off, so it's fixed, and hopefully this'll come out with fewer errors. Thanks guys!

The End Chapter 2: Book Report

"Banshee!" Garrus yelled, popping back into cover to cool his rifle. It was the team's fourth straight day of combat, and they were getting tired. Even Wrex was starting to show some wear.

"Concentrate your fire!" Tali yelled, draining the banshee's barrier. The rest of the team pounded the monster with fire from their rifles, but it kept coming. Finally, its barrier broke.

"I'll distract it! Keep your fire up!" Opovus yelled from the turian flank. He was the captain of part of Hammer Team they had picked up the day before. The turian rolled out of cover into the banshee's path. He fired at the beast from his hip, while the rest of the group assaulted the creature relentlessly.

Its eyes locked on Opovus, however, and it teleported to him in a cloud of cyan energy. It gripped his head, lifting him a meter off the ground.

"No!" Garrus yelled, doing a running dive into the banshee's legs. It toppled, dropping the other turian harmlessly. The rest of the group gathered around Garrus and the creature, just as Vakarian rolled out of the way. The group open fired, riddling the husk with slugs. It lay still, then began dissolving with an earsplitting screech. Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I hate those things…" One of the Alliance marines muttered, kicking the ground with his boot. Wrex snorted. Garrus was helped up by Tali, and then he approached Opovus, who was dusting himself off. Garrus kept walking as the other turian began to explain himself, but his explanation was cut short when Garrus fiercely punched him in the mouth.

"What did I say!" Garrus shouted, pointing his finger at the recovering turian's chest. "In case you _forgot_, I said no unnecessary risks! We have few enough ground troops as it is without idiots like you trying to sacrifice yourselves for glory! If this happens again, you will be dismissed from this squad—the same goes for everyone!" Garrus raged, now shouting at the whole group. He turned away and started to sift through the rubble, looking for traces of the squad that was spotted here two days ago.

"Oh, and Opovus? You're on cleanup duty now." Garrus spat over his shoulder. The marines skittered through the rubble, making themselves look busy. Tali walked up to the astonished turian, who was massaging his mandible.

"He likes you." She chuckled.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"Yes, sir. The teams are aware and are trying to clean up the Citadel. I don't know how much success they'll have, since it was a dump when I saw it. Just get the other council races started on selecting new councilors, as the former ones are otherwise—disposed…"

Shepard heard her before he saw her. He blearily opened his eyes, and light flooded into his vision. He breathed in sharply, and was surprised by how little that hurt.

"Hurrgllbrrfffnn." He muttered, slowly regaining consciousness. The voice stopped for a moment, then continued.

"He was incapacitated until literally just now. I don't think he's in any position to give you a status report, however. Alright, Admiral. Yes sir. Williams out." Shepard closed his eyes again, taking slow breaths. He opened them to see Ashley looking down over him. She smiled widely.

"You're awake! I'll get Chakwas." Ashley exclaimed, then hurried out of the room before Shepard could stop her. He then began testing out his limbs, which mostly worked. His left arm was in a cast and his stomach was heavily bandaged. He even managed to sit up with the assistance of the bed.

Chakwas and Ashley returned through the same door just as Shepard was inspecting his legs. They were bandaged as well, but weren't very painful.

"It would seem Cerberus built you very well, Commander, as you healed from a mortal wound almost perfectly in four days. I just needed to keep the IV in." Chakwas joked.

"I was wondering why I don't feel like a fifth of tequila and an ass-beating." The Commander responded. The old doctor laughed.

"Yes, well I'm just glad you didn't die a second time, as that seems to always happen on my watch. Now up. I need to test your systems." The good doctor intoned. "Lieutenant Commander, you might leave for this." Chakwas ordered subtly.

"Thanks, Doc, but there's nothing here I haven't already seen." The doctor and Shepard blushed.

"Right…"

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"So you're going to Kahje after all of this so you can be their god?" James inquired.

"Yes. I think it would be an amusing way to learn more about this cycle. After all, it is the only cycle worth living in, now that the Reapers have been destroyed." Javik replied, a smile curling his lip. "And I'm sure they would offer much more interesting talk than you humans." The prothean joked.

"Whoa whoa whoa. I'm hurt, Javik. And here I was, thinking that I had a friendly dinosaur as a shipmate." James joked, leaning back. Javik let loose a throaty laugh. He was finally starting to warm up, now that all the Reapers were gone.

"How about I teach you how to play Skyllian Five?" Vega asked, holding up a deck of cards.

"Fine, human, but be aware that you will lose."

Liara was glad Javik was getting accustomed to the crew, as well as his predicament in general. Compared to how he was before she confronted him, he was absolutely genial. He was even talking with the others that were working on building a decent headquarters. Now that there was no fear of enemy orbital strikes, the allied fleets were using materials cannibalized from wreckage in orbit to build over the old Earth. Right now, all there was was a bunch of containers, but at least it was a start.

Liara walked through the camp, seeing all the smiling men and women talking and working. Sure, there was still much work to be done, but finally she could sleep knowing that she would live to see another day.

"Why not, Jeff? This body easily-"

"I know, EDI, you've told me. But it just, it wouldn't feel right, you know? You need to want it too for it to work." Joker responded. The two were talking as Liara turned a corner and almost bumped into them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll just leave you two alone." She squeaked before the other two could argue. It seemed to Liara that everyone was pairing up. It could simply be human hormones, but she didn't think so. One question burned in her mind.

Where was her partner?

A quarian ran past her, shattering her thoughts, yelling "Lance Team is back, Lance Team is back!" Suddenly there was a commotion and she was swept to the front gates along with everyone else. Liara could see as a larger number entered through the gate than exited. Garrus' omnitool glowed, and he made an announcement.

"We have retrieved all of Hammer Team that we could, as well as cleared the ground for forward teams to push out and extend our territory. The reaper ground forces are still strong, but if we keep pushing them back, we'll have Earth back in no time."

The now fairly large crowd roared in cheer and excitement. With that, Tali, Wrex, and Garrus branched off from the rest of the team and made their way to the ICU. Liara began to follow them into the tunnels.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

The group came barging into Shepard's room, where Shepard was sleeping peacefully with Ashley at his bedside. The noise of the commotion roused the slumbering Commander.

"Wazzamatter?" He mumbled sleepily as the rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Oh. Hey team. What do you need?" Shepard asked as he noticed the large group crammed in the tiny room.

"Good to see that dumb Reaper didn't finish you off Shepard; I would have missed fighting with you." Wrex commented as the massive krogan nudged Shepard with his elbow. The infirmed Commander almost toppled over. Wrex laughed his hearty laugh.

"Thanks, Wrex. I think." Shepard jested.

"It's… It's good to have you back again, Shepard. I don't think any of us could have gone on without you." Garrus affirmed, emotion welling in his voice. His mandibles flared, then he stepped to the back of the group.

"Shepard." Tali said as she stepped forward and hugged him. "Garrus is right. None of us could have made it through without you, and I don't know what I'd do if you had died."

"I appreciate that. All of you. But unfortunately, there's very little time for 'get well Shepard' messages. Admiral Hackett informed me that while the Reapers themselves appeared to have been wiped out from all systems, their ground troops remain." Shepard began in his official voice, bringing up a mini galaxy map on his omnitool.

"So there's still a hell of a fight left, in layman's terms." Ashley added. Shepard nodded.

"Right. Along with all colonies and sparsely habited worlds, we still have close contention on Earth, as well as Thessia, Palaven, Tuchanka, and the clean-up effort on the Citadel. Since Alliance forces seem to have a good handle on the situation, we're being dispatched to Thessia ASAP to help the Asari secure their borders. I do still have to heal, so we'll be stationed here for at least another week. Dismissed."

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

The next week felt like the longest week of Shepard's life. He was stuck in bed for most of the day, and the mandatory physical therapy left him feeling more restless. Fortunately, he had time to write a report to Hackett regarding the goings-on on Earth.

He was moved from the ICU to one of the temporary hospital in the center of headquarters. Occasionally he would see wounded soldiers being rushed into the ward by marines or doctors, but for the most part it was very quiet. Ashley tried to visit him as much as she could, but she was also a SpecTRe, which meant that she was often leading a squad of marines deep into enemy territory on rescue missions. He didn't worry about her too much. She was the best soldier he knew, and she could take care of herself. He always had a feeling of dread when the hall doors opened and another soldier was brought in on a gurney however. He still remembered carrying her onto the _Normandy _when their first mission on Mars went sour. He had vowed to not let that happen again.

"Good afternoon, Commander. How goes the report?" Specialist Traynor stepped into his room, and he looked up from his interface to greet her.

"Like my recovery. We're gaining ground every day, but the setbacks have put us farther behind schedule than I would have like." Shepard responded, then went back to typing his report. "So I see Chakwas has you hard at work." Shepard continued without looking up.

"That woman is a slave driver!" Traynor exclaimed hysterically. "She tasked me to put this whole bloody place together when she learned I oversaw the upgrades to the _Normandy_. She's got me pulling my hair out with all the interface work I have to do for HQ, the hospital, and everything else in this place."

Traynor calmed down and sat next to the Commander.

"I heard we're going to Thessia."

"That's right. I hope you like bombed-out landscapes, because that's the only thing we'll be seeing for the foreseeable future." Shepard commented drily.

"Yeah, well… At least it has some nice oceanfront property." The Specialist joked.

"Don't you have work to do?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that." Traynor groaned as she saluted the Commander and left the room.

"Let's see if I can get through with this damn report before we ship out…" Shepard mumbled to himself, typing furiously.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"All systems are green. ETA to the Arcturus relay is four hours." Joker announced over the comm. Shepard was sitting in his cabin, still typing away at his report. It had been a week since he had started the damn thing, but there was too much going on for him to accurately detail everything for Hackett. He sighed with exasperation and placed the datapad back on his desk. He leaned back and stretched.

"How goes it, skipper?" Ashley asked from behind him. He straightened and stood up. She walked up to him until there were only a few inches between the two.

"Need something, Commander?" Shepard asked, smiling.

"Well, _Commander_, since you're all nice and healed now, I figured you might like some company."

"I'd love some company." Shepard said truthfully. Ashley closed the distance between them, and their lips touched in a soft kiss. After a blissful eternity, they broke apart.

"I was also hoping to check to see that nothing important was damaged." Ashley remarked, cupping Shepard's face in her hand and biting her lip.

"Well then, I suppose we have some work to do."

And for that moment, everything seemed right in the galaxy.


	3. Chapter 3

**PREFACE: **It would seem Bioware is releasing a "clarification" of the ending, rather than a new ending all together. I am disappointed, but we shall see. If anything, I'll still be able to right this. . Anyways, enjoy.

The End Chapter 3: One by One

"So. Thessia." James asked openly. He and Liara were sitting at the table in the mess hall eating breakfast. Liara was silent and tight-lipped.

"Yes." She replied tersely.

"I know how you're feeling. Earth was under Reaper control for a while, but look at it now. Or, er, at how the progress is going. Thessia will be freed in no time." James comforted her between mouthfuls of "food". Liara spun her fork through her food in thought.

"I suppose it will. I just couldn't stand seeing my home fall to the Reapers. Now that they're gone, I can inflict my pain on their minions without interference." Liara replied menacingly, a slight cyan glow erupting around her. James tried to calm her down.

"Hey, there'll be plenty of time for that when we land." Liara looked up from her food and into his eyes.

"You're right of course. I'm just eager to help my home, as I'm sure I've said a million times." Liara smiled. James blanked for a moment. Liara looked at him, puzzled, after he continued to stare at her for a few moments.

"James?" She asked, snapping him out of it. The soldier jumped slightly, as if startled.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, I'll be in the shuttle bay if you need me." He replied hastily, picking up his dish and placing it in the sink. He almost walked into Shepard and Ashley as he waved goodbye. Liara smiled. What an unusual human being that Lieutenant Vega was. Shepard and Ashley sat down, glowing.

"Looks like someone has a boyfriend." Ashley jibed at Liara. Shepard chuckled.

"At least we wouldn't be the only one—oof!" Shepard was cut off as Ashley jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. Liara simply watched, amused.

"Are human couples normally so violent?" Liara questioned. Ashley and Shepard looked at each other, then shrugged.

"I guess it's just friendly play. Like smaller mammals will 'fight' with their kin, but it's really to just discover their limits and build skills that will be of use later in life." Shepard said logically. Liara smiled.

"I see." Liara said, understanding. Shepard lost his smile.

"Also, you'll be coming with the ground team along with Javik today. So get geared up and meet me in the shuttle bay in three hours."

"Yes, Shepard." Liara then walked to her office and locked the door. Shepard looked after her.

"You think she'll be alright?" Ashley asked with concern. Shepard shrugged.

"Hard to say. You saw her when we fought Kai Leng and watched the Reapers take the planet." Shepard replied, beginning to eat his food. Ashley nodded. "Only time will tell. And by the way, care for some sparring after breakfast?"

"Eat up, Shepard. I'd hate to kick your ass with an empty stomach." Ashley answered playfully.

"Oh, we'll see about that…" Shepard challenged, smirking at her.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

As the shuttleset down at the designated LZ, Liara's heart ached. It was just like her home had fallen all over again. The skyline was still dark with smoke as fires burned in the asari's greatest monuments.

"Home sweet home." One of the commandos said drily. The unit had joined the crew as they refueled at Illium, and were supposedly 'N7 Special Ops'.

"All right, so the LZ has been secured by forces planet side, so our job now is to assist in operations establishing a command post, as well as neutralizing all Reaper ground forces. Understood?" Shepard was in his usual position, holding the handlebar on the shuttle's ceiling. Javik was sitting peacefully next to him.

"Liara T'Soni, I am sorry for the agony I caused you on our last venture here." The Prothean recounted, staring at the Doctor. "It reminded me of my own home." He added quietly.

"Of course, Javik. And I'm glad to have you here with us."

The flight was short, and the group disembarked without incident, with Samara and two heavily armed krogan coming up to greet them. Shepard shook her hand.

"It's good to see you again, Samara."

"And you as well, Shepard."

The group of nine made their ways to what seemed to be a hastily assembled command center at the front of the crumbling temple of Athame. Shepard grimaced, the wounds still fresh. As they moved closer to the temple, past wounded and dead, Shepard noticed the remarkable lack of dismembered bodies.

"Either the Reapers got much cleaner ways of killing, or they aren't our major adversary." Shepard remarked as he, Samara, and Liara gathered around a table with a hologram of their immediate location.

"You are correct, Commander. It is primarily Cerberus we are dealing with in this area." Samara answered him, bringing up her omnitool, focusing on a very well fortified location several kilometers to the west of the base.

"This is where they are centered. We've sent several commandos in, but they stopped reporting. If we take that location, local resistance can take care of the rest." Samara added, fiddling with her omnitool.

"Then that's our target. And I can't wait for some payback." Shepard said venomously, looking disgusted. He cracked his neck. "You heard the woman. We head out in ten." The team began mobilizing itself, prepping for the battle. Shepard pulled Samara to the side.

"Is there any support you could spare in the area?" Shepard inquired. Samara shrugged.

"Two gunships, as well as three turian Raptors in a camp to the east of our position."

"Perfect. Have them ready for take-off as soon as possible. We very likely might need their support." Shepard affirmed, then went to affix his own weapons.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

The Cerberus base was fairly small and well-fortified from what Liara could tell. Shepard and several of the commandos spent several hours silent, monitoring the base. Liara followed suit. Shepard was the one now staring out of the binoculars.

"Okay. So, they seem to stick to the outer wall, with few soldiers on the main compound. If we can break through, there shouldn't be much resistance until we get to the heart of it. That's when we arm our little buddy here and get the hell out."

The commandos nodded.

Shepard unfolded the Black Widow X from his back and looked through the enhanced scope, tracking the red outline of a patrolling guard. He waited for one of the intermittent explosions in the distance to sound before taking his shot. The rifle bucked against his shoulder and the guard's head exploded in a mess of gore while the body fell limply to the floor of the two-story gate.

The Commander stood up and motioned the others to follow, sheathing his sniper rifle in favor of his Phaeston. Javik prepped his biotics, erupting in a green glow.

"I am ready, Commander."

"Go."

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"Don't you think this is a bit unusual?"

Tali eyed Garrus from behind her visor. James did the same.

"What do you mean, amigo?" James questioned, not putting down his cards, but keeping an ear open to the turian across the table. Garrus snorted in frustration.

"Exactly this. We've been playing Skyllian Five for hours while the Commander is off fighting for the fate of Thessia. It makes my crest itch." Garrus added, twitching his mandibles in annoyance. Tali waved her hand at him dismissively.

"Then why don't you go help?" She asked.

"Samara's orders. Apparently those Justicars have something in their code about outsiders fighting an internal war, and yadda, yadda…" James trailed off. He looked from Garrus' consternated face to the purple mask of Tali. He shifted position awkwardly as he watched the two eye each other intensely from across the table.

"Anyone thirsty? Drinks? I'll get drinks." James excused himself from the stare-off and made his way to the small bar in the recreation room where Traynor sat, looking sadly down into her drink.

"Jeez, you can almost feel the tension between those two. It would probably make for some interesting… Well, I'll just stop there." James remarked to the Specialist as he sat down next to her.

"It's… It's almost as bad as Ashley and the, uh… Commander." Traynor replied with considerable effort. James shook his head.

"Dios mio…" He murmured under his breath as he abruptly stood up and abandoned the room, looking for more sober company. He strolled to the elevator and punched the button for the cargo bay.

The small space clicked rhythmically as it descended through the ship. James had always found the noise comforting. He chuckled as he reminisced on all the time he spent aimlessly wandering the floors of ships in elevators, thinking. The elevator finally stopped, and the doors opened to the familiar dark space of the cargo bay. He walked calmly to the end of the large room where a makeshift gym had been set up.

"When did you get back?" James called to Liara, who was working away in a corner.

"Just now." She grunted.

Liara was busily beating combo after combo into a punching bag with fists and shins alike. James approached her silently. As her blows grew more rapid, her breathing became labored and sweat began to drip from her skin. She gave a last, decisive grunt and glowed cyan as she sent the bag catapulting from its normal dangling location to rest in a pile on the other side of the bay.

"Wow, Blue, I didn't think you had it in you to do _that._" James remarked, gobsmacked. Liara turned to him, giving him a lethal glare.

"I can handle myself, _Lieutenant._" She replied coldly. James recoiled and his eyebrows shot up. Liara noticed, and her mask of rage melted into one of regret.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but it makes my heart ache to see my home like this." She closed her eyes in pain. James placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Believe me, I know the feeling."

"You would more than most, I suppose." Liara mused. She wiggled almost imperceptibly. The Alliance tee shirt and shorts didn't fit as well as her lab coat.

"You done working out, or would you care to dance?" Kames asked playfully. Liara cocked her head at him.

"Okay." She affirmed, unsure of what he meant. She stepped closer to him and began to dance as was customary in clubs throughout the galaxy. James blushed.

"I didn't mean _that _kind of dance, Blue." James said sheepishly. Liara's eyes bulged, and her face turned purple.

"Oh, Goddess! Excuse me, I have to, uhm, leave…" Liara stuttered, all but sprinting to the elevator. James merely watched in stunned silence.

"Not bad…" He murmured as he acquired his barbells.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

Liara's face burned furiously as she rushed into her office, almost crashing into the intoxicated Specialist in the process. She speedily locked the door behind her, then sank to the floor with her face in her hands. Glyph wandered up to her.

"Can I help you, Dr. T'Soni?"

Liara merely sat in silence for a few moments. She slowly picked herself up off the floor and moved to her sleeping area to change.

"Pull up Lieutenant Vega's file."

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

Shepard was still in the base camp outside the _Normandy, _speaking with Samara and a few other asari at the command post. Javik and Liara had already headed back to the ship, and it was now up to the Commander to inform the asari of the fruits of the team's assault.

"In addition to comprehensive fortifications, Cerberus was at near-platoon strength. We infiltrated the central chamber, planted the bomb, and blew the base sky-high." Shepard explained, supporting himself by his arms on the holographic interface.

"I see." One of the asari replied contemplatively. She held her hand up to her mouth in thought. "Why would Cerberus be here, of all places? And we had heard from Hackett that they had been taken care of. This doesn't make any sense…" She trailed off, staring into the display's glow. Shepard shrugged.

"There are probably several cells of Cerberus still active, unaware of the Illusive Man's death. I'm sure they were posted here as a forward base for Leng to infiltrate the temple." The Commander explained simply. The asari was not convinced.

"If you say so. It seems that with that Cerberus base gone, our signals can get out now, so we can effectively coordinate a counter-assault. Thank you, Commander." The asari acknowledged gratefully. "By the way, the name's Wairra."

"Anything that can get the galaxy up and moving again. And it's been nice working with you." The two shook hands, when Shepard's omnitool buzzed. He broke away from the group and answered the call.

"Go ahead."

"Commander, we have a priority message from Hackett that you might want to see." Joker's face appeared on the omnitool's holographic screen. Shepard nodded.

"I'm on it."

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"Shepard, we've recently recovered Intel from several Cerberus troops from our clean-up effort on the Citadel. It seems that the Illusive Man had a high-ranking officer that was to replace him if he were to expire. We don't have a fix on her position, but we do have a name: Jennifer Vostok. I need this done with, Shepard. Hackett out."

Shepard sat down heavily into the chair in his private quarters. He promptly got up and began pacing, his temper rising. Then Kai Leng's words came back to him: "_You're still too slow, Shepard."_

The Commander roared and threw the chair clean across the room, leaving a dent by the head of his bed. He stood there in silence for a moment, breathing out his seething anger. When his breathing became normal again, he began taking off his armor. When it was stored in his locker, he went to his desk and pressed the comm button.

"Crew, this is Shepard. Skyllian Five in twenty. Feel free to jump in." As he released the comm button, he resolved to not trouble the crew with this news for now. They desperately needed a break, and who was he to keep them from it? He sighed, and zipped back up his hoodie.

As he made his way to the elevator, Joker chimed in.

"So, should I set a course for Earth?" The pilot asked nervously. Shepard pondered for a moment.

"No need. We'll continue our mission as planned. Set a course for Palaven."

Then Shepard stepped into the elevator and punched the button for the Crew Quarters. The elevator slowly ticked through the ship, calming Shepard further. As the doors opened, he turned right and entered the rec center, where his ground team-as well as several of the regular crew-was eagerly awaiting his arrival. As he took his seat at the circular table, Ashley pulled out a deck of cards.

"How about we make this round more interesting…" Ashley suggested with a devilish smile. James and Garrus looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces. Most of the crew shrugged or muttered affirmations.

"Okay. Anyone who loses a hand has to take a shot of whiskey and then answer a question from the crew truthfully." Ashley continued mischievously. She looked at Shepard and winked. She knew he was terrible at poker.

Several hands and shots of whiskey later, most of the crew was thoroughly inebriated. Shepard was watching the room spin slowly as he told the crew of his experience in the Skyllian Blitz. Garrus and Liara watched him with adoring eyes as he enthusiastically recounted his experience.

"So then, it was just me and Jerome. My Avenger was mostly melted from all the fire we had been exchanging, and it had actually _run out of ammo_. Jerome tried to move to a more defensible position farther up the alley, but got caught in the leg by a sniper's bullet. He went down, and it wasn't long before the varren got to him. I stayed where I was, behind the lip of the fountain where several of my squad had been gunned down. I had to drop the damn rifle, and picked up a Mantis from one of 'em. With that, I picked off maybe three more before they realized I was killing them off when they tried to move individually.

"For about an hour, I just sat against that lip, peeking over every couple minutes only to have my head almost shot off." Shepard paused, reliving the moment. His visor was cracked and his left side was on fire. There hadn't been medigel for hours. The blood from his side mingled with the pool of his friends'.

"Skipper?" Ashley disrupted his reverie, and he continued as if nothing had happened.

"That was the first day I thought I was going to die." Shepard finished quietly. He laughed drily. "Definitely wasn't the last." He smiled, and so did the rest of the crew. After a silent moment, he backed out of his chair and stood up.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest, as I'm sure you all do too." Ashley stood up as well and excused herself, following Shepard into the elevator. She cornered him on the way to his cabin.

"I'm sorry." She said regretfully, looking into his eyes. It might have been the alcohol, but he could have sworn he saw the same woman he had first encountered on Eden Prime that had just lost her squad. He nodded.

"I survived. We survived. That's what matters. Because there's no way I'd let you get rid of me that easily." He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Please, Skipper, if I wanted to get rid of you, do you really think I would continue sleeping with you?" Ashley asked, a coy smile on her face.

"So you don't sleep with all your CO's?" Shepard asked her mock-incredulously. She recoiled, scandalized, then laughed before he kissed her.

**POST NOTE:**

Renegade +5. ;D


	4. Chapter 4

**PREFACE:** ^_^

The End Chapter 4: What I've Become

Shepard stood in a familiar wooded glen, mist hanging in the air around him as leaves fell from the trees. As he looked around, however, the familiar sight of a child running from him was amiss. Instead, he felt compelled to walk into an open area, with a marble platform in the middle, a single step leading to its flat, round surface. On the platform Legion, Alenko, Thane, and Mordin all sat, drinks in hand.

As Shepard approached, they motioned for him to sit down. Whispers emanated from around the group as they laughed and recalled their adventures together. Shepard looked down to inspect his glass. When he looked up, his friends were gone. Instead, across from him sat the Illusive Man. Shepard tensed, but could not move. The two sat silently facing each other, when the Illusive Man began speaking.

"That is what you've lost, Shepard. All of your friends in your pursuit to destroy the Reapers." The man started, his eyes glowing with malice. "You and I are so much alike, Shepard; we won't tolerate objects in our way, and we don't care what we sacrifice for the good of the galaxy." Shepard could only watch as the Illusive Man walked up to him and looked him directly in the eyes.

"You and I are no different. We are the same!" He shouted.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

Shepard jolted upright, sweating profusely and breathing hard. The Illusive Man's words echoed in his head. _We are the same_. Shepard carefully extricated himself from Ashley's arms, walking past the soft blue glow of his fish tank and into the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, and his fears were washed away with it. As he looked into the mirror, he saw the Illusive Man's face staring back.

"We are the same!"

Shepard punched the glass instinctively. As the echoes faded again, his heart slowly stopped racing. He looked from his hand to the cracked mirror, and quickly wiped the blood from his wound. He exited the bathroom and sat at the table next to his bed, his head in his hands.

_We are the same._

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"So we still have about a day until we reach Palaven." Garrus informed Tali. She nodded, typing away at her controls. Garrus crossed one leg over the other as he leaned on the wall next to her.

"Good. That'll give you time to prepare, won't it?" The quarian asked. Garrus nodded, steel entering his eyes. He had been trying to hide it, but he was nervous about going back to his home world. It was bad enough when he had left, and he could only imagine what it was like now. He was afraid.

"Don't worry Garrus. We'll take it back." Tali reassured warmly. Garrus' fears slowly dissolved, and he smiled.

"Thanks, Tali. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Probably get yourself killed." The quarian said smugly.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"John, please. Look at me." Ashley begged, gently bringing Shepard's face to look at her. Her guise was etched with concern. She held his wounded hand in hers, blood smearing them.

"I need you to know that we're in this together." Ashley pleaded, as Shepard's hollow gaze blazed a hole in the wall behind her. Shepard nodded slowly.

"He's right, Ash. I keep telling myself he's not but he's ri-"

"He's _dead_, Shepard; and he wouldn't be even if he was alive. He's a ruthless, coldblooded bastard, while you," she emphasized, looking him squarely in the eyes, "are the strongest, most compassionate, and giving man I know. That's why I love you, John, and you need to _remember _who you are."

A tear leaked from Shepard's eye, glinting in the light of the room. He hastily wiped it away, smearing blood across his face. He stood up abruptly.

"That's what I needed to hear." He said, smiling at his love. Ashley grinned widely, and stood up to embrace him. They held each other for a sobering moment, and then Shepard released her.

"Come on. I'm _dying _to shoot something." He added, cracking his knuckles.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"Move up! We can't let them break off and flank us!" Shepard yelled, popping up from cover to hurl a grenade into a Marauder, only for the husk to explode in a shower of blood and synthetic bits.

"Affirmative! I'll cut 'em off!" James yelled back to the Commander, moving past a burned-out car and taking cover behind the low cover of a collapsed wall. He half crouched, keeping his head and muzzle above the barrier, intermittently shooting into the flank of the enemy, exposing them to Shepard's fire. As the Commander took aim at a Banshee, its screaming head was blown clean off by Garrus' Widow with a deafening crack.

"One less to worry about!" Garrus shouted into the comm, the familiar battle cry filling the Commander's ears. Shepard continued to fire his Mattock at the remaining husks, which were advancing rapidly.

"Don't get cocky, Vakarian. Shoot the ugly off a husk—then we'll talk." Shepard jibed, punching a Cannibal in its grotesque face before giving it the killing blow from his Mattock.

"I don't know, Loco, seemed like a pretty solid shot." James chipped in with a grunt as he blew the head off of an approaching husk with his shotgun. Shepard snorted.

"So it's not just the Reapers, but now I have my crew to contend with for galactic supremacy? Whatever will I do?" The Commander asked sarcastically as he blew a mob of Marauders behind cover to pieces with a concussive shot. Garrus barked a laugh as the onslaught of their LZ began to cease. The group had landed on the main continent of Palaven, where Hackett's intel had informed them a resistance was persisting. The squad had been met with a large Reaper presence that immediately began trying to kill them.

As the three moved covertly from burned-out building to building, slowly working their way to the coordinates Hackett had given them. As they approached, several barrels seemed to materialize from nowhere, pointing in their direction. A turian stepped forward from the rubble.

"Hold your fire!" He yelled and then held up his hand and approached the commander. "Finally; reinforcements. The Reapers have been pushing, and we don't have many men left." Shepard nodded as he followed the turian down into a series of tunnels.

"Great. Alien robot zombies _and _we're underground." James quipped.

"By the way, I'm Major Vorucis." The turian added as he led the small group through the exhaustive maze of tunnels.

"I'm Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. We're here to help set up a front for the resistance effort." The Commander replied, ducking under a low metal beam that hung from the ceiling. Vorucis snorted.

"A lot of good a CP will do us; we barely have enough troops to man the walls." Vorucis replied as he led the Commander back above ground and into a small, seemingly abandoned camp. James gawked.

"You weren't kidding!" James was quickly silenced by a stern look from the Commander.

"The war on Earth is going well, so a large portion of the forces centered there should be inbound within the next several days." Shepard said to Vorucis as they gathered around a small holographic table. "In the mean time, however, it's just myself and my crew that'll be assisting you." Vorucis brought his hand up to his mouth in thought.

"How many of you are there?"

"Seven that are frontline-capable, not including myself."

"In that case, we'll need two of you to watch the tunnels; my men are having moderate success funneling the enemy into a kill zone. At least one will need to be on that AA gun to watch for Harvesters; those things have torn up all of our aircraft, and now all we can do is hope they don't come back. The rest will be on the front wall, which is where the heaviest fighting is." Vorucis highlighted the various areas for Shepard and his team. As Shepard and the Major spoke, Garrus requested the presence of the rest of the team from the _Normandy_. As Shepard began assigning various parts of his team to Vorucis' command, the rest of the team began to gather in the area, having been lead there by another turian guard who promptly returned to his post.

"Okay. Ashley and Garrus; you're with me on the front wall." Shepard began, outlining his plan with his team gathered around another table.

"Aye aye, skipper."

"You got it."

"James and Liara; I need you in the tunnels. No one else can fight like you with a shotgun and I can't think of anyone with better barriers Liara." Shepard added, and the two left to assume their position.

"I'm on it."

"You got it, Loco."

"Tali, Javik, and Wrex; you three will be on the anti-air gun. Tali, I need you to get that thing working at optimal capacity, Javik, keep her safe, and Wrex: have some fun with it." Shepard finished.

"I can't wait."

"Yes, Commander."

"Of course, Shepard."

"Alright, Major. My team's all in place; I just need you to direct me to the front-" Shepard began, but was interrupted by an explosion several meters behind him. He and Ashley were flung forward onto the ground while Vorucis and Garrus were knocked onto their backs.

"Harvesters! Get that AA gun working, now!" Vorucis screamed into the comm as the group crawled to what measly cover the camp offered. Right as they had their backs to the wall, two Harvesters landed in the center of the compound, disgorging a pack of Brutes and several Ravagers.

Shepard pulled the Graal off of his back as he rolled away from a Brute's scythe-like arm. He fired several massive spikes into the husk's head, but it merely roared and pounded its chest. He fired back at it as he bull-rushed a Ravager, whose rocket just barely missed Garrus. Shepard grabbed a grenade from his belt and plunged his hand deep into one of the beast's pink sacs, pulling his now goo-covered arm out as he rolled away from the messy fruits of his labor.

Garrus helped him up, and quickly led him to a small roost that Ashley had already begun occupying, taking lethal shots at the rampaging Brutes with her sniper rifle. Pain erupted from Shepard's hand as he joined them on the balcony. He looked down at his glove, which was almost completely dissolved. He rapidly removed it to see his hand bubbling and sizzling as the Ravager acid ate through his flesh. He speedily coated it with medigel, the wound sealing and knitting itself back together. The piercing pain was replaced by an odd tingling. James' voice broke out of his comm.

"Shepard, we got Reapers everywhere! We're holding them for now, but I'm not sure how long we can last!" James shouted through Shepard's earpiece in between fevered grunts and gasps.

"Roger that. We have some problems of our own." The Commander replied as he blew the head of a husk that climbed its way up to their position. Shepard switched his comm to a channel with Javik and Wrex.

"Javik, can you do anything about those Harvesters?" Shepard asked him, calmly pacing behind Garrus and Ashley, who were promptly creating a kill box out of the camp, slaughtering any Reapers that entered it.

"Tali'Zorah is working on the gun now. The krogan is… Killing everything he can get his hands on." Javik replied calmly, though the roars and booms of husks and biotics could be heard in the background.

"Shepard, they're right on top of us!" Garrus yelled, interrupting the conversation. He pulled Shepard back into the building just before a Harvester could bore a hole in his face. Shepard swore and began firing out of the room, heat sinks pouring from his rifle like water. Ashley and Garrus seemed to be in a similar position.

As Ashley popped out of her cover, a bullet whizzed through the air, shattering her shields and burying itself in her chest. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"No!" Shepard yelled as he rushed to her, slicing off a Cannibal's head with his omniblade on the way there. He brought her face to face his.

"Come on, Ash, stay awake…" He muttered, readying another packet of medigel with his omnitool. Her eyes fluttered desperately but slowly closed. Shepard ripped off her armor in panic, frantically trying to gain access to the wound. A massive boom halted his movements for a moment, and Geth began pouring in from behind him, taking the Reapers by storm. A Prime helped him escort Ashley to a safe distance, before he began his work on the wound.

"Thanks. I wasn't sure we would have made it back there." The Commander told the geth gratefully as he began treating the wound.

"You are welcome, Shepard-Commander." The geth answered, its voice eerily familiar.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** We'll just have to see who this mysterious geth is next time. ;D -The Amazing Soup


	5. Chapter 5

**PREFACE: **So it may seem pretty jarring to those of you who still follow this fic, but I've been playing around with a few ideas, and have decided to come back after an extremely long hiatus. I would recommend giving the previous few chapters a quick once over for better context. Enjoy. ^_^

The End Chapter 5: Tatters and Elevators

"James, I need you to keep them off of me if I'm to provide us a barrier!" Liara yelled at James, who was smashing a husk's face with his boot. He back-handed an approaching Cannibal with his Claymore, then bore several holes through a Marauder's maw, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Yes ma'am." James complied, his breathing now more of a pant. The turian squad that was supporting them was occupied with trying to seal the other entrances, leaving James and Liara to repel the bulk of the assault—which meant James was left to staunch the steady bleeding in of the Reaper forces while Liara maintained a barrier for them.

The duo heard a frightened yelp from behind them, as well as several gunshots. They swiveled in place, revealing an un-cloaked Geth hunter charging its shotgun in their direction. The two rolled away from each other as the synthetic began tearing apart the Reaper units. Liara gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad the only thing that keeps me ducking from them is instinct." She commented, leaning against one of the tunnel walls, her body glowing.

"Yeah, you ain't kidding, Blue. I hated being on their bad side." James affirmed. More Geth began pouring into the tunnels, quickly replacing all the troops that the Turian company had lost.

"I just hope they can handle the Reapers." Liara replied worriedly. James ejected the clip from his shotgun.

"Then I guess we'd better give them a hand."

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"Legion?" Shepard asked incredulously. The Geth looked at him with its flashlight eye and tilted its head to the side.

"Affirmative." With its answer, Shepard smiled broadly. Legion continued its work sealing the hole in Ashley's chest, which steadily leaked blood as the synthetic labored.

"I thought you were dead! How did you survive?" Shepard queried as he stood up and attempted to wipe the blood on his hands off on his armor.

"I uploaded myself to the collective as I gave them the Reaper code. I saved myself, as you saved the Geth, Shepard-Commander," Legion replied as it did its work tirelessly, carefully. It pulled its hands away, which were covered in sticky, red blood, and stood up. Shepard kneeled and took its place, quickly applying medigel, then gauze and a cover. Content with the work, Shepard pieced Ashley's armor back together carefully. His heart ached, seeing her like this. The spatter from the wound had coated her chest plate red, and mist covered her visor. Even with the wound field-dressed, they would need an evac. And soon.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

Javik grunted with the effort of hurling a rock through the air and onto an encroaching ravager with his biotics. The Reapers were proving to be more formidable than even he had anticipated. With Wrex's help, they were just barely able to keep the creatures off of Tali, who had been working away on the anti-air gun with her omnitool for the last thirty minutes.

"I've almost got it!"

"Good. It's getting a little tense over here," Wrex growled as he head-butted a cannibal. He then threw a lift grenade at a pack of lumbering husks and they flew into the air, propelled by the explosive.

"Krogan, behind you!" Javik shouted to Wrex, as a brute leaned forward, about to charge. Wrex turned around and dug his heels in, head crest jutting forward. The monstrosity tore across the rooftop and slammed into the Krogan, entangling the two in a spined, bloody embrace as Wrex let loose a blast of his Claymore into the creature. The brute collapsed with Wrex on top of it, neither of them moving. Javik used the last of his dwindling energy to toss the remaining cannibals off of the roof, and hustled over to the injured warrior.

As the Prothean approached, Wrex began to stir. He gasped for air, and coughed out an alarming amount of blood. Javik leaned over his form and tried to assess his condition, but it was hard to wade through the veritable sea of blood flowing from the warlord and the felled abomination. During the charge, the brute had caught Wrex on one of its exposed ribs, evidenced by the large spike protruding from Wrex's chest, having been severed from the brute during the violence. Javik readied his medigel, and heaved on the spine with as much might as he could muster. It would not budge however, and Javik began seeing stars dance before his eyes as he collapsed to one knee.

"I've got it! The anti-air defenses should be working at full capacity—Oh Keelah!" Tali yelled as she rushed over to the two figures lying in a pool of blood; whether it was theirs or not Tali was unable to determine. She hastily opened her comm and hailed Shepard.

"Shepard! The anti-air defenses are online, but Wrex and Javik are injured. I'm out of medigel and we need medical attention now!" She yelled into the micro transmitter, panicked. She tried to staunch the bleeding from the wound in Wrex's chest with her hands, but blood continued to spill out from between her fingers.

"Roger that. I'm calling in the Normandy for an evac. The Geth will be able to handle ground operations in this sector while we pull out. Ashley's been hurt as well, and I haven't heard from James or Liara yet," Shepard replied, his voice sounding strained.

"Geth? There are Geth here? We could have used their help a while ago," Tali lamented, still frantically trying to stop the bleeding. Deafening booms emanated throughout the compound as the anti-air GARDIAN lasers did their job, while smoking Harvesters careened into the ground outside.

"I just hope it's not too late."

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

Shepard sprinted into the cargo bay of the Normandy, Ashley cradled in his arms with Tali, Garrus, and the rest of the crew following closely behind. Tali and Garrus were holding Javik up between them and Legion carried Wrex in its arms, as they all squished into the cramped elevator. It went its typical, maddeningly slow pace. Shepard's heart was racing, and he felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack. If they didn't get the three to Chakwas in time… Shepard didn't care to think about that possibility.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doors opened, and Shepard ran past an alarmed crewman as he hurried into the med bay, Cahkwas and her several assistants waiting.

"Put her down there, and get out. We'll take it from here commander," Chakwas stated as she began pulling Ashley's armor off, revealing a concerning amount of red staining her under-armor mesh. Shepard stared at it as Tali, Garrus, and Legion came in after him, following the Doctor's orders, none of which the Commander could decipher. He heard a muffled noise from next to him, but didn't pay it any heed. He simply stood and stared at Ashley's torn body, his mind numb.

"Shepard, Doctor Chakwas needs room to operate! Commander, you need to get out!" Tali screamed at him. She and Garrus began pulling him out of the med bay by his arms, but as he neared the door, he felt for the briefest moment that this was the last time he'd see the love of his life alive. Suddenly the Commander fought back against the pair's grip, trying to get back to where Ashley lay.

"No! I can't leave her! Let go of me!" He cried out, pulling against Garrus and Tali's hands with all of his might. The two struggled to hold him back, but his strength was too great. He flung Tali against the door, and she cried out in pain. Everything seemed to blur together as one of the Doctor's assistants trotted up to him and swiftly jammed a needle in his neck. He felt his body relax, and the last thing he saw was the closing of the med bay door as his weary squad dragged him out of his hell.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

"We should put him back in his quarters," Garrus panted to Tali. She nodded, shaking. The two very gingerly dragged Shepard to the elevator by the back of his armor. They pressed the button for the captain's cabin wearily, and as the doors closed, the two collapsed on the floor, exhausted.

"I knew the Commander had cybernetic enhancements, but I never imagined…" Tali trailed off, her voice a mix of admiration and fear. Garrus nodded, his scaly brow tightened with concern and shock. He had the exact same thought. The Turian had only seen the Commander be visibly upset twice, but he had never witnessed him in such pain and fear.

Evidently even the invincible Commander Shepard could be torn down and broken.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

Shepard awoke on his bed, the stars staring at him through his skylight. He sat up gingerly and flexed his injured hand. Why was hand injured? _Ashley._

Shepard bolted out of bed and sprinted into the elevator, smashing his hand against the button for the crew deck. The elevator ticked down at its usual sluggish pace. Outwardly Shepard was calm, but he was screaming within his mind. The doors finally opened, and he rushed out to the med bay, only to be met with a red door console that read 'LOCKED' and the blinds on the inside closed.

The Commander walked into the recreation room dejectedly and sat down at the bar, placing his weary head in his hands.

"Hey Loco, you look like you could use a pick-me-up," James called to him from behind the bar, wresting him from his stupor. He pulled his head from his hands.

"What I _need _is a drink," Shepard responded hoarsely, putting his palms on the table. James tisked in mock disapproval.

"You know alcohol is contraband on Alliance ships, Loco."

Shepard gave James a knowing look, and the Lieutenant pulled a large bottle from beneath the bar. He grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and set them down between the two. He screwed off the top of the bottle, and poured each of them a large portion. Shepard immediately grabbed his and gulped it down, feeling the liquor sting his throat on its way downward. He set the glass back down and motioned for James to pour him another. James acquiesced silently.

"That's rough, what with Ash and Wrex," James started, taking a swig of his concoction. Shepard nodded numbly. "From what I hear though Javik's fine; he just passed out from all that biotic use. They gave him an IV and he's just sleeping it off. Shepard stared into his empty-again cup.

James sighed and filled their cups once more. It was going to be a rough night.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME

Shepard sat solemnly in the med bay, his hands laced together in front of his face as he leaned on one of Doctor Chakwas' desks. The only sound in the room came from EKG monitors blipping every second or so, and the light tapping of the Doctor's fingers on the readouts on a plethora of medical apparatuses. He stared at the three forms in their respective beds, their chests going up and down. Ashley. Wrex. Even Javik was being monitored for sleep abnormalities.

Ashley had lost almost three liters of blood on her way to the Normandy, as the bullet that pierced her chest grazed her aorta. Even with all of Chakwas' experience and medical skill, she just barely survived. It had been touch and go for almost six hours. Wrex had fared slightly better, having only had one of his hearts punctured and a chunk of one of his livers torn out, but Krogan are extremely resilient, and he's expected to make a full recovery.

Shepard's head throbbed lightly. The last thing he remembered was informing EDI as to the intricacies of fellatio, as Joker sat mortified in the bridge. After that, he was awoken in the observation deck by a rather tired looking medical assistant that Ashley and Wrex were steady enough to have visitors. They wouldn't be conscious for a while, but he could check up on them. So there he sat, watching them breath. His relief was palpable, but he knew that the end wasn't yet in sight.

"Commander, Admiral Hackett would like to speak to you on vidcomm," Traynor announced over the loudspeaker. Shepard made his way to the war room, and finally stood before Admiral Hackett, still in his blood-sprayed armor.

"Commander, I heard that you and your team pulled out of Palaven," Hackett began, his face stern as usual. Shepard nodded.

"Yes sir. We assisted in the construction of a forward command post, but we were hit by a major Reaper offensive. The Geth assisted us, and I don't think we would have made it without them. They're coordinating further with the Turians," Shepard replied, his arms hanging limply at his sides. "Two of our team were injured. One just barely made it out alive," Shepard continued, the wear evident on his face.

"I'm sorry to hear that Commander, but I do have some good news. We just got a piece of intel on the location of a Cerberus outpost in the Pamyat system of the Hades Nexus. Our sources believe that this is Jennifer Vostok's new base of operations. I'm postponing all of your current objectives and making this priority one. Get on it, Commander; Hackett out," The admiral nodded to the Commander, and his blue image fizzled out of view. Shepard leaned on the console for support.

"Joker. Set a course for the Pamyat system in the Hades Nexus. We're going hunting."


End file.
